Children Living in Transition

Sharing the daily struggles of children and families residing in transitional situations (homelessness or because of risk of homelessness, being connected with the child welfare system, or being new immigrants in temporary housing), this text recommends strategies for delivering mental health and intensive case-management services that maintain family integrity and stability. Based on work undertaken at the Center for the Vulnerable Child in Oakland, California, which has provided mental health and intensive case management to children and families living in transition for more than two decades, this volume outlines culturally sensitive practices to engage families that feel disrespected by the assistance of helping professionals or betrayed by their forgotten promises. Chapters discuss the Center's staffers' attempt to trace the influence of power, privilege, and beliefs on their education and their approach to treatment. Many U.S. children living in impoverished transitional situations are of color and come from generations of poverty, and the professionals they encounter are white, middle-class, and college-educated.The Center's work to identify the influences or obstacles interfering with services for this target population is therefore critical to formulating more effective treatment, interaction, and care.

This unique volume highlights a major public health problem: the plight of vulnerable children in the foster care and homelessness systems. Within a social justice framework, Cheryl Zlotnick and her contributors give these children a voice to express the oppression, bias, racism, and power differentials underlying their care. By viewing these children as members of transitional families, this book describes how to reduce treatment disparities and unify service systems. It is a must-read that will change your views of how to best understand and care for these children. -- Ellen L. Bassuk, founder, The National Center on Family Homelessness A well-researched and valuable addition to the literature on homelessness... This book should help increase awareness of the needs of this very vulnerable population. PsycCritiques An important contribution to the field of child welfare. Journal of Children and Poverty [The book] complements well developmental research... But, it does much more as it provides compelling examples for other organizations and professionals to help foster children and families in need. Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Cheryl Zlotnick is a principal investigator at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute. For the past twenty-five years, she has worked as a clinical nurse specialist, program coordinator, evaluator, director, and scientist to promote the health and well-being of children and families living in unstable, homeless, or transitional situations.